Hands-On Activities

How to Make a Simple Wind Vane | Fun Wind Activities Middle School

March 24, 2023 | Leave a Comment
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If you’re wanting to add fun wind activities middle school, your kids will love this simple wind vane. Also, grab more ideas here Middle School Hands-on Science : Extreme Winds and Free Weather Unit Study for Kids Who Love Hands-on Learning.

Important and valuable science lessons don’t always have to come from books.

You and your student can get a lot out of hands-on experiments, interesting books, and videos.

How to Make a Simple Wind Vane | Fun Wind Activities Middle School

To help you get started on your wind activities middle school journey I have some great resources.

And then let’s put together a very simple but informative hands-on experiment creating a weather vane to determine wind direction.

Wind Activities Middle School Ideas

Start off with a really fun activity that kids of all ages love-paper airplanes. Investigating Wind: Paper Airplane Competition.

Build different styles and sizes, investigate the effects of the wind on them, and record the results.

Another fun and simple activity you can do is to learn about Extreme Winds and grab + a free mini book.

Grab a Build Your Own Wind Turbine Kit for a firsthand look at wind energy.

Or build a model wind turbine completely from scratch with this tutorial.

Have your middle schooler create their own Anemomete r with a few simple household items.

Why not challenge your teen to make their own windsocks, windchimes, and kites to incorporate some art into their studies on wind.

These activities are definitely not just for little ones.

Grab this online self-paced literature course for middle school to go along with the book The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.

Also, look at this mini weather station.

Next, look at these videos to learn about weather and wind.

Videos about Wind

Air Pressure and Wind-Middle School Science
Watch Twister together for an epic fictional look at the power of the wind in tornadoes.
What Causes The Wind
The Coriolis Effect Explained
How a hurricane is formed and grows

Also, grab these useful books.

Learning about Wind

Wind Activities - Middle School Books

Create fun science learning ideas or a quick unit study from some of these resources.

The Secret World of Weather: How to Read Signs in Every Cloud, Breeze, Hill, Street, Plant, Animal, and Dewdrop

In The Secret World of Weather, bestselling author Tristan Gooley turns his gaze up to the sky, bringing his signature brand of close observation and eye-opening deduction to the fascinating world of weather. Every cloud, every change in temperature, every raindrop, every sunbeam, every breeze reveals something about our weather—if you know what to look for. Before you know it, you’ll be able to forecast impending storms, sunny days, and everything in between, all without needing to consult your smartphone.

Science Comics: Wild Weather: Storms, Meteorology, and Climate

As “snowpocalypse” descends once again, one temperamental weatherman is determined to set the record straight on the myths and misconceptions surrounding the elements. What is the difference between weather and climate? How do weather satellites predict the future? Can someone outrun a tornado? Does the rotation of the Earth affect wind currents? And does meteorology have anything to do with meteors? Stormin’ Norman Weatherby is gearing up to answer all your wildest questions!

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

When a terrible drought struck William Kamkwamba's tiny village in Malawi, his family lost all of the season's crops, leaving them with nothing to eat and nothing to sell. William began to explore science books in his village library, looking for a solution. There, he came up with the idea that would change his family's life forever: he could build a windmill. Made out of scrap metal and old bicycle parts, William's windmill brought electricity to his home and helped his family pump the water they needed to farm the land.

Eric Sloane's Weather Book

"Amateur weather forecasters (which includes just about everyone) will find this volume an informative and entertaining account of the why and how of the weather." — The NationIn simple language, Eric Sloane explains the whys and wherefores of weather and weather forecasting — and does it in a style that's universally appealing.

Global Warming and Wind Power - A Workbook for Middle School

This workbook has 84 printable pages for students to explore global warming and wind power. Students learn about wind farms and residential wind turbines, which states are investing money into this renewable resource, how the cost has gone down, the top nations of the world in this industry, noise pollution from turbines, injuries to birds, reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, and offshore wind farms. Students search for information online about global warming, wind power, climate change, wind farms, turbines, offshore wind farms, wind-powered vehicles, the dangers from turbines and the wind, the benefits of harnessing the wind’s power, and the costs of turbines.

Finally, look at this simple wind vane activity for your kids.

How to Make a Simple Wind Vane With Kids

You will need:

Paper or plastic straw
Pencil with eraser
Cardstock
Stick pin
Paper plate
Plastic cup
Sharpie marker
Ruler
Razor or sharp knife

Directions:

Find the center of your plate.

Then have your student draw intersecting lines for N,S, E, W.

If you are doing this with younger students you may want to stop here.

For middle school kids I suggest further adding NE, NW, SE, and SW.

Poke a hole with a straight edge razor or knife in the bottom of the cup to fit your pencil tightly.

Cut a slit on either end of the straw.

Next, cut cardstock into a 1-11/2” triangle for one end and a trapezoid shape for the other end.

Slide each into a slit and secure with a dab of hot glue.

Poke the straight pin down through the middle of the straw and into the eraser.

Slide pencil mechanism through the cup and to the plate. Add hot glue as needed to secure any loose pieces.

To add weight to your weathervane so it doesn’t fly away outside glue coins or small pebbles to the underside of the plate to anchor it.

Use a compass (you can get an app on your phone if you don’t have one)

Figure out north and point your N indicator on the plate in that direction.

Use your compass to determine the direction the wind is blowing; the arrow indicates the direction the wind is coming from.

Next, have your child track the wind’s direction throughout the day or week with a simple grid.

Cookie Sheet Activities Make Earth Day Cookies & Fascinating Earth Facts

March 20, 2023 | Leave a Comment
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Add these fun earth day cookies to your cookie sheet activities. Also, grab this fun idea using cookies to build the Eiffel Tower.

When you’re out on Earth Day on April 22 picking up trash, planting gardens and conserving water take a fun break.

Make these Earth Day cookies and add this idea to your cookie sheet activities.

Cookie Sheet Activities Make Earth Day Cookies & Fascinating Earth Facts

Besides, it’s a great time to learn some fascinating facts about earth.

Too, these Earth Day cookies are a great activity for the whole family, and you will get different results from kids of different skill levels.

For example, encourage your older (middle and high school) kids to go for accurate continents.

Let the toddlers go wild with blobs while you teach them that blue is for water and green for land. That’s a fun super easy introduction to geography.

12 Fascinating Facts About Planet Earth

Earth is the 3rd planet closest to the sun at a whopping 92.67 million miles.
The earth rotates at around 1000 miles an hour- wow!
The circumference of Earth is 24,901 miles.
Some scientists believe that the continents were not always separate but existed as one large landmass that broke apart-Pangea.
Earth is the 5th largest planet in the solar system.
Earth is nicknamed the blue planet or ocean planet, because it is covered in so much water.
The inner core of the earth is made of iron.
The earth’s atmosphere is made up of 6 layers. Those layers are called troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere, and ionosphere.
Did you know that earth is the only planet that is not named after one of the Greek or Roman gods?
Early ancient Greeks, Sumerians, Egyptians, Vikings, and Babylonians believed the earth was flat because of what they could see around them and the belief that the Heavens were above the earth.
The driest place in the world is the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, oddly enough it is right next to the biggest body of water — the Pacific Ocean.
Because the earth is not a perfect sphere its gravitational pull is not the same everywhere. The planet’s surface is bumpy, and water flow, ice drift and the movement of the tectonic plates create different gravity pulls.

Then, look at more ideas below for cookie sheet activities and earth science fun.

More Cookie Sheet Activities

Have you ever considered using a cookie sheet for something other than cookies?

Let’s look at some of my favorite cookie sheet activities that can turn a cheap kitchen item (think Dollar Tree) into a useful learning tool.

Use a cookie sheet to recreate this Edible Rock Cycle for some tasty earth science.
Remember when we did a study on George Washington Carver and made peanut butter cookies as part of our learning? What a great dive into history and science that was.
Use a cookie sheet Cook Ancient Sebetu Rolls and learn about Ancient Mesopotamia.

Next, here are a few that have nothing to do with cooking.

Check out this Cookie Sheet Challenge Sight Words, much more fun than practicing on a worksheet.
Or work on early math skills using the Cookie Ten Frame Matching Game for younger children.
Turn a cookie sheet into a DIY Chore Chart for each child that they help design, a great way to teach them to take ownership of their responsibilities.
A Magnetic Scrabble Board is an amazing way to work on vocabulary and spelling skills with older children.

Additionally, look at a few more activities to include if you’re learning about this beautiful planet we live on.

More Earth Science Ideas and Activities

Finally, let’s get onto the simple tutorial for our Earth Day cookies.

Earth Day Cookies

You will need:

1 package sugar cookie dough (or your favorite recipe)
Green food coloring
Blue food coloring
A map or globe for reference

First, mix up your cookie dough according to package directions.

Remove ¼ of the cookie dough and put it aside in a separate bowl.

To the larger amount of cookie dough add blue food coloring and mix until desired shade is reached. Due to the yellow of the egg yolk your blue is going to be more of an aqua/turquoise color than blue.

Add green food coloring to the smaller bowl of dough and mix well.

Roll cookie dough into balls in your hand and then flatten on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Pinch off small amounts of green dough and form rough continent shapes.

As they bake, they are going to spread and become a bit misshaped anyway so focus on the fun and getting the general idea more than perfection.

If your butter is too softened your cookies will spread and give you a large flatter cookie.

If you prefer a thicker, softer cookie pop the dough into the fridge for 15 minutes to chill it before baking.

Bake to the minimum time on your recipe. Keep in mind something about the coloring seems to make them brown and get crunchy edges faster.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan for a few minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack. Enjoy.

Learn About Daniel Boone Hunting With a Fun Deer Unit Study & Notebooking Pages

March 18, 2023 | 2 Comments
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Your child will have fun learning about Daniel Boone hunting with this quick deer unit study. Look at more ideas on my page Daniel Boone – North American Explorer and for my unit studies on best homeschool unit studies.

If you are trailblazing through the woods exploring about Daniel Boone, you may want to head into learning about Daniel Boone hunting.

Back when people were moving westward and setting out on new trails the wild game was plentiful in the woods.

Learn About Daniel Boone Hunting With a Fun Deer Unit Study & Notebooking Pages

Daniel Boone would have no doubt encountered deer, squirrel, bear, fox, raccoon, rabbit, beaver, and wild turkey.

I have gathered up plenty of resources for you to focus on a deer unit study.

Boone was a very gifted hunter and deer were a plentiful and common target for the woodsman.

Ideas for a Deer Unit Study

You will find books, games, and hands-on ideas.

I will walk you through a fun art project focusing on the deer’s antlers.

If your family are hunters your child is no doubt already immersed in the world of the hunt.

But if they are just starting out there are a lot of great resources to introduce them to deer, their habitats, their place in the food chain, and more.

10 Fun Facts About Deer

Next, look at these fun facts about deer.

Deer can reach short distance bursts of speed up to 30mph and jump over 10 feet.
One in 30,000 deer are albino, the absence of pigment, which gives them white fur and pink eyes.
There are more than 40 different species of deer in the world.
A moose is actually a member of the New World deer subfamily.
Male deer shed their antlers once a year. Males grow antlers from March – September. The antlers are shed in late winter.
On rare occasions, a female will grow antlers.
A common deer in North America is the white-tailed deer.
A male white-tailed deer is called a buck, a female is called a doe and the young are called fawns.
White-tailed deer are herbivores. They eat twigs, buds, and leaves of a wide variety of plants.
Deer antlers are the fastest growing bone known and can grow as much as a ½ inch a day.

Then, look at some of these fun resources to learn about deer.

Deer Unit Study Resources

Add these books for a fun deer unit study or to learn about animals encountered along the trails of the Westward Expansion.

The Lost Deer Camp

I found this interesting looking hunting series of chapter books; The Lost Deer Camp (Hometown Hunters) would fit perfectly with a deer unit study.

Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World

While Nature Anatomy does not have a ton on deer specifically it does have a small section on antlered animals including deer, and it gives a simple illustration of the Lyme Bacteria cycle that often plagues deer and gives another take on deer. There are also other common animals of the forest as well as information on the habitat.

MEROCO Forest Animal Track Game Flash Cards

Animal Track game is a educational game that will teach kids how to match animals with their tracks and where to find them!

Most animals do not want to come in close contact with humans, but if you learn to notice and recognize their tracks, you will be able identify which animals visit your neighborhood or like to walk along the same trails as you do. Animal tracks can become a window into an otherwise hidden world-the presence and habits of wild animals.

Tracks, Scats and Signs (Take Along Guides)

Become a nature detective with this illustrative, engaging and fun Take-Along-Guide. You may not know where to look, or what to look for, but animal signs are everywhere and this guide will help you learn how to read them.

Deer Hunting for Kids (Into the Great Outdoors)

You’re perched in a tree stand when a huge whitetail walks below you. You raise your gun to aim. Do you have what it takes to bag this trophy buck? Now is your chance to learn what you need to know about deer hunting history, gear, techniques, safety, and more.

Late for the Sky Hunting-opoly Board Game

The board game classic with a Hunting twist

Choose traditional play or one hour version

Opoly-style play

Player pieces consist of crossbow, shotgun shell, backpack, boot, shed, binoculars

Tracker

For John Borne’s family, hunting has nothing to do with sport or manliness. It’s a matter of survival. Every fall John and his grandfather go off into the woods to shoot deer and put meat on the
table over the long Minnesota winter. But this year, John’s grandfather is dying, and John must hunt alone. John tracks a doe for two days, but as he closes in on his prey, he realizes he cannot shoot
her. For John, the hunt is no longer about killing, but about life.

About White-Tailed Deer

Deer are ruminant mammals which means it has a four‐chambered stomach.

In addition, deer are browsers which means they eat leaves and buds which are not easily digestible.

Their name white tailed deer comes from the fact that when they are in danger their white tail stands upright like a flag.

Too, antlers are grown by only male deer called bucks. However, both male and female reindeer have antlers.

Antlers are made of bone and is covered by a substance called velvet which is full of blood vessels to supply nutrients to the bone.

In addition, no doubt when Daniel Boone was hunting, he was familiar with the diet and habitat of the white tailed deer.

For example, they like open woods, old fields and anywhere along water sources. Deer use the wooded areas for cover and food.

And deer feed on nuts, berries, woody shoots and stems, acorns, honeysuckle, and poison ivy.

If food is planted like corn, soybeans and decorative shrubs they’ll eat that food too.

Next, deer normally make three different sounds which are maternal, reproductive and alarm.

Moreover, I have some fun deer notebooking pages to add to this unit study.

Deer Notebooking Pages

Further, your child can do his own research about deer and add his own notes or use some facts off my post here.

Grab the notebooking pages below.

Also, add in some fun hands-on activities.

Hands-on Deer Activities

This Easy Hands-on Science: Animal Camouflage Activity Hunt is a great introduction to understanding animal camouflage for younger children.
Grab this White Tailed Deer Print Out for younger kids to see the different parts of a deer as well as a footprint.
Make a hand craft deer for the littles.
If you have the opportunity to use some you have or borrow some antlers from a hunt or shed, let your child explore them by touching and seeing what they feel like, count the tips, and make other observations.

Fun Learning About Daniel Boone Hunting With a Quick Deer Unit Study

Turn a few fun deer toys into a wonderful activity by adding a little sand, moss, rocks, and sticks to a tray or bin to turn it into a deer themed sensory activity. Use a small piece of paper to give the woodland clearing a pond.

Discuss the differences between antlers and horns and if you have some let your kids explore how they are the same and different. Additionally, measure them and learn about math measurements.
Get outdoors with a field guide to locate wildlife and learn about when is the best time to view deer.
Learn how colonists and early Native American used parts of the deer in everyday life.
Further learn and match animal tracks.

Daniel Boone Hunting and Life Resources

Next, look at these other the life of Daniel Boone hunting and about his life resources.

Finally, I am going to walk you through creating your own multimedia deer art project.

We are going to focus on the antlers.

It makes a good springboard to talk about deer antlers, why they have them, and why they fall off.

This will be the easiest way anyone has brought home a 10 point buck.

Deer Art Project

You will need:

11×14 canvas
Sticks and twigs of various sizes
Hot glue gun/glue sticks
Acrylic paint
pencil

Before you begin, sketch out the top of your deer head onto paper until you are happy with your design.

Retrace the design onto the canvas with a pencil.

Don’t worry about getting it perfect.

We are making our deer just peek over the edge and focusing on those antlers.

Water down blue paint and paint all around the drawing. But do not paint to the edges of your drawing.

Crumple up a rag or paper towel and pat the blue all over to lighten the paint.

Allow the blue paint to dry to the touch, it shouldn’t take long since you removed all the excess paint.

Begin painting to fill in the outline of the deer with brown paint and add details with black and light brown for highlights.

Let the paint dry completely and lay out the sticks until you are satisfied with your antlers.

Lastly, hot glue each piece down

How to Get the Free Deer Notebooking Pages

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That means when you sign up to follow me, you get access to this freebie.

1) Sign up on my list.

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Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

March 14, 2023 | Leave a Comment
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I have some facts about wildflowers and a fun felt Texas bluebonnet craft. You’ll also love my Wildflowers Unit Study.

Spring is very nearly here; can you feel it?

It is officially just a few days away and already things are blooming, birds are nesting, days are getting longer, and spring fever is taking hold.

Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft

One of my favorite things about spring is the beautiful abundance of wildflowers.

You can find them alongside streams, on hillsides, at the edge of the forest, and even on the side of the road.

Spring is the perfect time to learn many fun facts about wildflowers, investigate their uses and benefits to their ecosystems, learn state flowers, and more.

Today we are going to learn some of those facts and create beautiful felt Texas Bluebonnets which is the state flower for Texas.

This project is easy, pretty inexpensive and free if you have these basic supplies on hand.

It makes adorable addition to your spring decor.

They would also be a great craft to go along with a unit study about Texas.

10 Wonderful And Fun Facts About Wildflowers

Wildflowers are important because they support ecosystems and pollinators which is good for us and our food supply.
Texas Bluebonnets are the official state flower of Texas.
Wildflowers have several different meanings like happiness, joy, and remembrance.
A wildflower is called that because it is a flower that grows in the wild, and it was not intentionally seeded or planted.
A group of wildflowers is called a bloom. A super bloom is a rare desert botanical phenomenon where an unusually high amount of wildflowers whose seeds have lain dormant in desert soil blossom at about the same time.
Bluebonnets are typically (obviously) blue but occasionally you’ll come across them in light blue, white or pink, due to genetic mutations.
The name dandelion comes from the French- dent de lion (tooth of the lion ) for its jagged toothed shaped leaves. A coffee substitute can be made from the roasted and ground roots of dandelions.
Many wildflowers, from the petals to the roots, are used for medicines, tinctures, salves, teas, and beauty products.
Most wildflowers contain 4 basic parts – sepals, petals, pistils, and stamens.
The two most common wildflowers are the common sunflower, Helianthus annuus, and the Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta).

Next, add some of these books for your wildflower unit study.

10 Wildflower Books & Resources For Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To

Spring is especially a good time to learn about wildflowers but you can learn about them anytime. Add a few of these hands-on resources and books and you'll have a fun multiple ages unit study for your homeschooled kids.

Botanicum: Welcome to the Museum

Botanicum, is a brilliantly curated guide to plant life. With artwork from Katie Scott of Animalium fame, Botanicum gives readers the experience of a fascinating exhibition from the pages of a beautiful book. From perennials to bulbs to tropical exotica, Botanicum is a wonderful feast of botanical knowledge complete with superb cross sections of how plants work.

National Geographic Pocket Guide to Wildflowers of North America

With this basic beginner's field guide to North American wildflowers, all who enjoy nature and the outdoors can identify common wildflowers, from backyard weeds to dainty forest blossoms. In a logical, user-friendly, highly visual format, this new title offers key facts about 160 of the most common wildflowers and weeds, coast to coast, including Canada and Alaska.

Wildcraft! an Herbal Adventure Game for Kids

Unlike many kids games 4 and up that turn out to be too confusing for children, Wildcraft! An Herbal Adventure Game, is a fun, strategic challenge that’s also easy to follow– NO READING REQUIRED. Because our learning board games feature clear illustrations and matching icons, even younger kids will learn what the different plants look like and can be used for. It’s the perfect fun game for family game night with kids, and ideal for beginners – no prior plant knowledge necessary!

Wildflower Seeds: Bulk Mix of 21 Varieties

Wide Variety Of Flower Seeds: Our wildflower seeds will provide you with a vibrant selection of flowers in your garden. You will get 21 different varieties of annual seeds including Black Eyed Susans, California Bluebells, African Daisies and more.

Wildflower Bingo Game

Do you know which flower got its name from its resemblance to the sombrero? What is the species of the bluebonnet? Lot of facts about North American wildflowers in this game.

Wildflowers, Blooms & Blossoms (Take Along Guides)

An introduction to the world of insects, caterpillars, and butterflies including identification information, educational activities, and fun facts.Invites young naturalists to spot wildlife. Safety tips are provided and interesting activities are suggested.

Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Wildflowers

What do you call a garden filled with lots of flowers? A polli-nation! Nat Geo Kids is back with the newest fact- and photo-filled Ultimate Explorer Field Guide, and this one packs some real flower power! This guide to wildflowers will make kids stop and look for all kinds of blossoms blooming right under their noses. From buttercups to bladderworts, primroses to pitcher plants, kids will learn how, where, and when to spot these wildflowers in their backyard, down the street, or all over town! Jam-packed with tons of info, interactive prompts, tips for budding botanists, super stats, and jokes--it's the perfect companion for exploring the backyard or field trips, camping, or vacation. Durable and portable, it's just right for your pocket or backpack!

Wild Flowers of North America (Science Nature Guides)

Did you know that wild plants are still used for food, for medicines, and as dyes? Many of the plants growing in urban areas, in woods and by the side of roads are useful as well as being pretty. Other plants have small and less obvious how many have you seen and not realized that they were flowers? This book will show you the most common wild flowers and where you are most likely to find them. A nature guide designed for elementary grades 2-3, the book includes more than 20 easy-to-do science projects.

Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America

In this warm, engaging look at the life of a great First Lady, Kathi Appelt tells the story behind Lady Bird Johnson's environmental vision. Joy Fisher Hein's colorful wildflowers burst from every page, inviting us to share in Lady Bird's love for natural beauty.

From a lonely childhood in the Piney Woods of East Texas to an exciting life in the White House, Lady Bird Johnson loved wildflowers with all her heart. They were her companions in her youth, greeting her everywhere as she explored wild forests, bayous, and hills.

Wild Flowers of North America: Botanical Illustrations by Mary Vaux Walcott

Published in association with the Smithsonian Institution. What does it take to paint a wildflower that blooms for a single day in a deep forest? For Mary Vaux Walcott, it involved spending up to seventeen hours a day out of doors with her paintbox to capture the shape, movement, and colors of delicate petals and leaves.

Hands on Ideas for Facts About Wildflowers

Be sure to grab my Free Wildflowers Unit Study and Lapbook.
Learn How to Make Wildflower Seed Bombs
Learn How to Easily Make a Simple and Fun Kids DIY Flower Press
Younger children will love this Nature Walk Cardboard Vase Activity for collecting wildflowers as they find them.
Plant a massive bed of wildflowers and learn about them in your own backyard.
Hands-On Mixed Media Flower Art Fun Nature Study

Then, add a fun felt wildflower like a Texas Bluebonnet to your list of activities.

You probably have most of these items at your house already.

How to Make a Texas Bluebonnet Wildflower Craft

You will need:

White craft felt
Blue craft felt
Hot glue gun/Glue sticks
Wooden Skewers
Green markers/paint
Scissors

Directions:

Paint or color skewers green and set aside to dry.

You could also use craft sticks or even pick skinny sticks out of the yard to use.

Cut the white felt on the short end into approximately 1” strips and cut the blue felt into 1 ¼” to 1 ½” strips.

Fold the white in half lengthwise and cut notches every ⅛” to ¼” from the fold to almost the edge but not quite cutting through.

Add a bit of hot glue to the end of your green colored skewer and begin wrapping the folded white felt around the tip, maybe 3 or 4 times moving down as you go.

We used about 3” of the white piece and cut the rest off for another bluebonnet.

Secure the end with hot glue.

Fold the long length of blue in half lengthwise and repeat the process of cutting lines from the fold to the other side but not quite all the way across.

Slightly overlap the white and wrap the blue (still folded in half) around the stem continuing down adding hot glue to secure every so often. Be sure to pull and twist tightly as you go.

Repeat for as many flowers as you wish to make.

For each flower we used a 3” piece of white felt strip and the entire blue strip.

Happy Spring!

Life Cycle Of a Strawberry Facts and Fun Hand Sewn Felt Strawberry

March 12, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have some facts about the life cycle of a strawberry and how to make a felt hand sewn strawberry. And you’ll love my Strawberry Unit Study page.

This is a great activity not only to use while learning about the life cycle of a strawberry plant but also to work in a simple handiwork skill.

I have simplified this so even if you are not a sewer yourself it is easy for you and your child to learn together.

Life Cycle Of a Strawberry Facts and Fun Hand Sewn Felt Strawberry

The life cycle of a strawberry plant starts with seeds and germination.

Then the plants are produced and mature.

Next comes flowering, fruiting, and finally dormancy before it starts all over again in the new season.

Even if you can’t grow them on your own there are a lot of great easy to learn about strawberries and their life cycle.

Resources to Learn The Life Cycle of a Strawberry

Use these great Strawberry Notebooking Pages for Language Arts

Enjoy a fun Strawberry Unit Study.

Plant your own strawberries from seed.

There is a great illustration of the life cycle of a strawberry plant in Nature Anatomy among all the other wonderful nature study info it contains.

Taste strawberries and other berries to compare.

Ask your child to describe it with all their senses, what does it smell like, taste like, look like?

Try strawberries in other forms as well like jams or jellies, in salad dressings, etc.

Slice a strawberry in half and encourage your child to examine it, where are the seeds located? How does the center look different?

Extract Strawberry DNA for another fun hands-on science activity.

Watch this video to see a strawberry go from flower to fruit.

Also, look at some strawberry life cycle facts.

6 Facts about The Life Cycle of a Strawberry

You can harvest the seeds from strawberries by pulling them off individually with tweezers and laying them on a paper towel to dry completely. Store in a labeled envelope or baggie.
Planted from seed, strawberries take around 110 days from sprouting until they start to flower.
The ever-bearing types of strawberries will produce two crops, one in early summer and the second in the early fall.
Strawberries have the shortest life cycle of any of the berries, taking just 60-90 days.
The average strawberry has about 200 seeds on it.
Strawberry plants can return year after year for about 5 to 6 years, but the berry harvest begins to decrease after 2 or 3 years.

Too, grab some of these fun resources for your strawberry unit study.

More Strawberry Resources

11 Strawberry Unit Study Resources & Books

Add one or two of these strawberry unit study resources to make your fun spring unit study come to life.

1000+ Red Strawberry Seeds for Planting

Big pack: 1000+ Non-GMO red strawberry seeds by Monique939-002..

Interesting: Whether they are spotted in your yard or as part of a tasty treat, strawberries are sure to spark attention! Liven up a fruit salad, muesli or trifle.

From Seed to Strawberry

How does a tiny seed grow into a sweet, juicy strawberry? Follow each step in the cycle from planting seeds to eating yummy strawberries in this fascinating book!

Strawberry Girl

Strawberries—big, ripe, and juicy. Ten-year-old Birdie Boyer can hardly wait to start picking them. But her family has just moved to the Florida backwoods, and they haven't even begun their planting. "Don't count your biddies 'fore they're hatched, gal young un!" her father tells her.

Strawberry Night Light

How fun.. What an adorable gift or to use in your school area.

Strawberry Shortcake

Your child will quickly fall in love with this Strawberry Shortcake pillow and be excited to jump into bed. Great for playtime, naptime, or bedtime this will make the perfect gift for your loved one.

Saving Strawberry Farm

One penny.

In the hot, mean summer of 1933, a penny is enough to buy caramels or red hots or peppermint sticks or licorice strings. Is it enough to buy Miss Elsie's Strawberry Farm?

There's only one way to find out. Davey takes a deep breath and shouts, "One penny for trawberry Farm!"

Set during the Great Depression, and illustrated by Caldecott Honor artist Rachel Isadora, Saving Strawberry Farm brings Davey's Midwestern town to life as friends and neighbors plan to
save the farm the only way they can -- with a secret penny auction!

Strawberry Shortcake Coloring Book Super Set/ Over 100 Stickers

Delight your Strawberry Shortcake fan with this Strawberry Shortcake Giant Coloring Book Bundle with 144 coloring pages and 50 stickers.

This giant Strawberry Shortcake sticker activity book set features Strawberry Shortcake and her friends.

Includes two premium Strawberry Shortcake coloring books filled with coloring activities and games. Includes 50 stickers!

National Geographic Readers: Plants (Level 1 Co-reader)

Adult and child readers will learn all about plants together in this new Co-reader from National Geographic Kids. Find out how plants grow as well as the different parts of plants, seeds, and flowers.

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear

Little Mouse loves strawberries, but so does the big hungry bear . . .

How will Little Mouse stop the bear from eating his freshly picked, red ripe strawberry?

This classic story is beloved for its humor, expressive illustrations, and surprise ending—pure read-aloud fun!

Watch a Strawberry Grow (Bullfrog Books: Watch It Grow)

In Watch a Strawberry Grow, early fluent readers learn how strawberries grow. Vibrant, full-color photos and carefully leveled text will engage young readers as they learn about how this delicious berry is grown and harvested. An infographic illustrates the life cycle of a strawberry. Children can learn more about how strawberries grow using our safe search engine that provides relevant, age-appropriate websites

The Strawberry Garden

Grandfather Ethan planted strawberry seedlings in the garden bed, and when they grew big strawberries that were all shiny and red - everybody wanted to taste them: the cow, the crow, and even the cat. It's a good thing that the scarecrow was there to scare them away! But what happens when little Nora, the granddaughter, wants to collect the shiny red strawberries?

Finally, how to make this hand sewn felt strawberry for a fun hands-on activity.

Simple Hand Sewn Strawberry

You will need:

Embroidery Floss- Yellow, red, green
Blunt sewing needle
Felt- Red and green
Scissors
Cotton stuffing or scrap fabric for stuffing

Directions:

Cut a half circle from the red felt.

It should be about 5” wide on the flat side is a good size for most kids to work with.

Thread a long piece of yellow embroidery thread on the blunt needle and tie a knot in the end.

Pierce the felt and draw the thread all the way through until it is tight.

Pierce the needle back through the other side very close to the first one. This will create tiny little seeds on your strawberry, repeat all over the piece

The back is going to end up looking like this but that’s okay it’s going on the inside and it won’t be seen.

Once you have enough seeds tie a knot in the yellow thread and cut off the excess.

Thread a long string of red embroidery floss onto your blunt needle.

Fold the semi-circle in half and sew along the straight edge with a very basic stitch. Tie a knot in the end and cut off the excess.

If you have a lot of string leftover, you can reknot it and use it to close the top.

To do this you want to run the needle in and out along the top with a straight stitch but leave these stitches loose until you have sewn all the way around.

Stuff with cotton filler or even scraps of felt.

Pull the end of the thread tightly like a drawstring to close the top, run a few stitches through to secure.

Cut a 4-point leaf out of the green felt.

And enjoy all that strawberry deliciousness this spring with this fun craft.

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Simple Hand Sewn Strawberry

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